Complete Story
07/17/2019
Employer of Choice Category: Community Engagement
Category:
Community Engagement
All Member Types
Commitment to the external community is a hallmark of societal responsibility to which all Employer of Choice organizations should ascribe. Employer of Choice candidates should describe (in essay form) their systematic* commitment to active community engagement through various involvement efforts, both large and small, and how the approaches and design of their efforts support their Mission and strategic direction. Fulfillment of this commitment to societal responsibility is demonstrated through engaging leaders and employees in the community to create positive, measurable impact for both the organization and community. Response to this item will address the following:
- How does the organization contribute to societal well-being and create positive community impact as part of their strategy and ongoing leadership activity?
- How does the organization identify the key communities (geographic, causes, pressing external needs, etc.) they choose to intentionally support?
- What types of community engagement activities are undertaken by the organization? How does the organization design/deliver their involvement in these activities, engaging their workforce members in those efforts in a meaningful fashion?
- How does the organization determine and evaluate the level of impact they are making on their communities through their efforts? How does the organization measure their internal return on investment from their community engagement activities?
Recommendation:
Organizations with a meaningful commitment to their surrounding communities proactively seek to identify opportunities (neighborhood projects, contribution to causes, development efforts, service opportunities, pressing local needs, etc.) to invest resources and engage in relevant projects and activities. Examples of community engagement may include blood drives, community health fairs, “lunch and learns” for the community at large, organization-sponsored events that reach the greater community (e.g. Alzheimer’s walks), employee service on community boards, awards/recognition, volunteer activities, etc.
Assessment:
- Does not meet: limited practices or early stage implementation
- Meets: practices are generally established and showing maturity in implementation
- Exceeds: practices are comprehensive and well established, fully implemented, outcomes measures in place to assess effectiveness
*“Systematic” is defined as follows: a process or approach that is systematic is characterized as well-ordered and repeatable, and uses data and information so that learning and improvement are possible
Sample of Organization's "Exceeds" Criteria Rating
for Community Engagement
Click the link below to read more on how Kendal at Oberlin "Exceeds" in Community Engagement.